Man Charged with Three Terrorism Offences

A 24 year old man has been charged with three offences under the Terrorism Act following an investigation by the North East Counter Terrorism Unit.

Mohammed Abbas Idris Awan, 24, originally from Huddersfield was arrested in Sheffield on Thursday June 1.

Awan, of Dun Street, Sheffield has been charged with one offence of Engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 and two offences of Possessing a record of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

He appeared before Westminster Magistrates this morning and was remanded in custody.

This investigation is not connected to the recent attacks in Manchester and London.

South Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable David Hartley said, “I understand our local communities will have concerns and may have some worries about recent events and issues, but I want to offer my reassurance that we are well prepared and we will continue to serve and protect the public of South Yorkshire.

“We work very closely with our colleagues at the North East Counter Terrorism Unit and we will ensure we maintain these strong links in order to provide a high level of service and delivery to everyone in our community. Public safety is our utmost concern.

“We are committed to ensure that information we receive is acted upon quickly and efficiently. If you have any concerns around any suspicious activity, I would encourage you to please call the confidential Anti-Terrorist hotline on 0800 789321.”

Monday June 12

A 29 year old man from Huddersfield has been released from custody this afternoon (Monday, June 12).

A 24 year old man remains in custody.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

This afternoon (Thursday, June 8) an additional warrant of further detention has been granted.

Officers have a further seven days to question the two men (age 24 and 29 from Huddersfield) in custody.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

The North East Counter Terrorism Unit have today (Saturday, June 3) been granted warrants of further detention to continue questioning two men on suspicion of offences under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.

Officers have been granted a further seven days from the time of arrest.

The men, age 24 and 29 from Huddersfield, were arrested on Thursday, June 1.

Friday, June 2, 2017 1730

This is an update in connection with an ongoing investigation led by the North East CTU.

The 23 year old from Sheffield arrested for assisting an offender has been released without bail whilst under investigation.

The two men arrested under the Terrorism Act remain in custody.

Friday, June 2, 2017 0800

This is an update in connection with an ongoing investigation by the North East Counter Terrorism Unit supported by South and West Yorkshire Police.

The two men arrested yesterday in Huddersfield and Sheffield remain in custody.

A third man, age 23 and from Sheffield, has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Both property searches have now concluded and we would like to thank the local communities for their patience and understanding.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Officers have today (Thursday, June 1) arrested two men from Huddersfield on suspicion of offences under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.

The men, age 24 and 29, were arrested at separate locations in Huddersfield and Sheffield.

Searches are being carried out in properties in Huddersfield and Sheffield.

There are no connections to the recent incident and investigation in Manchester.

The operation is based on recently received intelligence.

We understand that people may have concerns as a result of this activity and we are grateful for the patience and understanding of the public while these enquiries are carried out.

The public may have heard loud bangs at the time that police entered the property. We would like to reassure you that this was part of the method of entry to gain access to the property.